


You Had Me at Bonjour!

by YaBoiBellabean



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe, Beach Holidays, Day At The Beach, Endgame Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Romance, Thailand, Vacation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:07:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26189995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YaBoiBellabean/pseuds/YaBoiBellabean
Summary: More than anything in the whole world, Marinette wished someone would say his name again. Alix kept calling him Bozo, but she knew that wasmost certainlynothis name. She’d been far too flustered by his painted nails, the blue running through his black hair, his open shirt and his bare chest, hisvoice...UGH. What was she thinking about again? Oh. His name.Marinette certainly couldn't spend an entire weekend in Phuket calling him Soft Hands Guy, could she?Lukanette
Relationships: Alix Kubdel/Lê Chiến Kim, Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 24
Kudos: 41
Collections: August 2020 - Exchange





	You Had Me at Bonjour!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rikkapikasnikka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rikkapikasnikka/gifts).



> Based on a True Story

Marinette was simultaneously ecstatic and horrified. She’d been a flight attendant for just under three months (if orientation counted) and it was the very first time that her days off coincided with being abroad. On one hand, it was absolutely wonderful that she was granted the opportunity to have a mini-vacation in Phuket. On the other hand, the fact that she didn’t have a choice in the matter kind of sucked. She was very grateful that Thailand didn’t require a tourist visa for a three-day stay. And, luckily enough, Thailand was a fairly affordable country to spend a weekend in, so it likely wouldn’t break the bank.

From the moment that she and her coworker found out that they would be staying in Phuket for three days, Aurore was insistent that they book a hostel near Surin Beach. Marinette didn’t mind, of course. She was fine staying pretty much anywhere and, with any luck, she and Aurore would become friends—not that Marinette didn’t _want_ to consider Aurore a friend, of course; they just didn’t have much in common. And unfortunately, their lack of common interests had become painfully obvious, as Aurore frequently took Marinette out for drinks. It was a pity, really, as the two girls had attended all of the same schools growing up.

Marinette and Aurore both had wildly different ideas about how they wanted to spend their time in Thailand. On multiple occasions, Aurore had gushed to Marinette about how she wanted to spend the entire time on Surin Beach because she wanted to meet a celebrity, fall in love, and live happily ever after—or something like that. Apparently she’d purchased three new swimsuits, new jewelry, and designer sandals. 

Why anyone in the world would need designer sandals for a sandy beach was beyond Marinette. She’d merely tossed her homemade swimsuit and cheap flip-flops into her bag and called it good.

The idea of meeting celebrities wasn’t particularly enthralling to Marinette, as it had been when she was a teenager; a few years prior she’d learned first-hand that celebrities were just normal people with their faces plastered everywhere. 

Instead of focusing on the glitz and glam, Marinette simply wanted to sit in a coffee shop and people-watch to learn more about Thai culture. Tourist attractions weren’t really her thing. The only touristy things that piqued her interest were the Phuket Trickeye Museum and the elephant sanctuary; looking at artwork and interacting with elephants both sounded like good ways to support and experience the culture. 

“I’m nervous about going to the beach by myself,” Aurore said as she began to put her belongings into a locker. “It’s safer if we travel together. Won’t you please come with me?”

Inwardly, Marinette sighed. Aurore wasn’t wrong. But going to Surin Beach was one of the last things that she wanted to do. Unlike Aurore, Marinette hadn’t been a flight attendant long enough to begin receiving decent raises or bonuses. She didn’t _really_ have the money to spend her time in luxury. And while she could _technically_ afford it, it would make her budget for the rest of the month tighter than she was comfortable with.

But, Marinette being the person she was, didn’t want to ruin her coworker’s mini-vacation. “You’re right,” Marinette feigned a smile. “I will come to Surin Beach with you. I didn’t have anything specific planned for today. Safety first!”

“Surin Beach, you say?” another girl in the six-person room chimed in. “I was planning on going over there with my friends! Why don’t we all go together?”

“Are you sure?” Aurore asked, perhaps a bit too eagerly. “I don’t want to intrude or anything.”

“I wouldn’t have invited you if you would be intruding,” she coolly replied. “I’m Alix, by the way.”

Marinette felt silly as the realization dawned on her that the stranger was also speaking French. It really was a small world. “Where are you from?” _Oh no_ , she panicked. She hadn’t offered her name in return. Stupid, stupid, _stupid_ Marinette. She must’ve come off as entitled and rude! What if she retracted her offer to spend time together over at the beach? Aurore would be so disappointed and Marinette would be entirely at fault for ruining her mini-vacation. No. She needed to calm down. She was definitely overreacting. Maybe.

“Oh,” the girl chuckled, “My friends and I are all from Paris. We’ve been here two weeks and not another person staying in our room has spoken French, so I was _stoked_ when I overheard your conversation. My English is terrible. It’s _so_ much easier to talk to people when you’re speaking in your native tongue.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Alix. My name is Marinette and I’m also from Paris. I apologize for asking about you before I offered you my name.”

“No sweat,” Alix replied, flashing a wide grin. 

“And I’m Aurore! It’s so nice to meet you,” the blonde added. “I’m not quite from Paris proper. I’m from Sceaux. I’m looking forward to spending time together!”

As the five girls walked down to Surin Beach, Marinette decided that spending one single day there probably wouldn’t kill her. Alix, Rose, and Juleka were fun to chat with; the pressure of having to entertain Aurore evaporated into thin air.

“Hey Jules!”

Juleka turned around and smiled. “Hey Luka.”

Marinette could physically _feel_ crimson climbing from her neck up to her cheeks and ears as his eyes came to a rest on her. It was absolutely the sun, she reasoned with herself. It had to have been. Because she was twenty-three years old and therefore couldn’t possibly get _this_ flustered over a guy. But lord he really was handsome—those aquamarine eyes, the blue running through his hair, his very _open shirt_. His brief one up and down didn’t escape her. _He was checking her, Marinette Louise Dupain-Cheng, out._ And boy was he handsome. 

“Might I ask who you two lovely ladies are?” he asked in English.

His voice was so velvety smooth. He sounded exactly like how Marinette would’ve imagined, even if she hadn’t heard him greet Juleka. Everything about this man was _perfect_. He had to have been a model or something. Was she still blushing? No. There was no way in _hell_ she was blushing because she definitely wasn’t blushing in the first place. It was the sun. “I-I-I’m—”

“I’m Aurore,” the blonde said in perfect English and held her hand out confidently. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Marinette was sure that Aurore hadn’t meant to cut her off; she probably hadn’t even heard Marinette as she’d been stuttering and mumbling under her breath. She’d spent enough time with Aurore to know that she was actually quite sweet, albeit very forward.

“Nice to meet you, Aurore,” he replied in English kindly. Immediately, he redirected his attention back to Marinette, his lips turning upward into a suave smirk. “Et toi?”

Had she been mumbling in French? Or did he slip up and speak French by accident because he might’ve been from Paris too? Or was it because they were definitely hanging out with three other people that he clearly knew and they all spoke French? Or did he realize that they both spoke French because of Aurore’s accent? Oh gosh, no. Did he hear her mumbling or stuttering? No, no. Stupid Marinette. “Je-je m-m-m'appelle M-Marinette. Pl-Plea-Pleasure to acquaintance y-your meet you!” she exclaimed, hand flying up over her mouth. Stupid, stupid, _stupid_ Marinette. 

“The pleasure is mine, Marinette.” Taking her hand into his, he gently pressed his soft lips to her knuckles.

“Did you forget to put on your sunblock, Marinette?” Aurore asked, concern evident in her voice. “I have some in my bag! You don’t want to burn on our first day here! It’ll make you miserable!”

_Error: Marinette.exe stopped working._

“Knock it off, dumbass!” Alix frowned, slapping him upside the head. Apologetically, she turned to Aurore. “I helped her put the sunblock on while you were getting dressed. The problem is that good ol’ Bozo here is making a real ass of himself. Classic Luka.”

“You’re embarrassing Juleka!” Rose added, crossing her arms. “And me! And Alix! And Aurore! And poor Marinette!”

_RunMarinette.exe_

“I, uh, hi. You’re handsosss are very soft,” Marinette winced, shyly pulling her braid over her shoulder. _You’re hands are very soft_? _Your hands are very soft_ would’ve been proper. Great. Now she sounded completely illiterate. Why didn’t she just say _You’re handsome_? It wasn’t like she’d ever see him again. And besides, his hands _weren’t_ soft. Not even a little bit. Why was she like this? Oh gosh. But wait. What if he was also from Paris like everyone else? He did look a little familiar. So what if she actually _did_ run into him, thereby seeing him again? Did he frequent her parents’ bakery? Had they attended the same schools? Or oh gosh. Was he one of the other models on set when she’d watch Adrien shoot? The whole world was melting around her. She just wanted to crawl under a rock or bury her head in sand. She was absolutely mortified. “I-I need a drink. Aurore? Did you, uh,” she swallowed, “Did you want to go get some cocktails?”

“ _Oh finally_ ,” Aurore breathed, “I have been _dying_ for a drink since we got off the plane.”

“Us too! We want to join!” Rose chimed in, lacing her fingers with Juleka’s. 

A shit-eating grin crossed Alix’s face as she gave Soft Hands Guy (whose hands weren’t actually all that soft) a side-long glance. “Drinks are on Bozo here.”

“That’s fine,” Soft Hands Guy (whose hands weren’t actually all that soft) shrugged. “I don’t mind.”

Soft Hands Guy (whose hands weren’t actually all that soft) quickly got them seats at a particularly fancy-looking beach bar. As she perused the menu, Marinette found that she wasn’t particularly thrilled. The drinks looked _incredible_ , but maybe not so much at _that price_. And certainly not on someone else’s tab. If she still wanted to do other fun things while she was there, she could have just a couple drinks after the one Soft Hands Guy (whose hands weren’t actually all that soft) was going to buy. She had a feeling dinner was going to be even more expensive. 

“Get whatever you want, guys,” he said coolly, taking particular interest in Marinette. 

“D-Do y-you have any recommendations?” Marinette stammered, averting her gaze to the menu. Pure dread coursed through her veins as the words haphazardly tumbled from her mouth. She gave the menu the thousand meter stare. What if he hadn’t been there before? He probably hadn’t. He wasn’t a local. How in the world would he have any recommendations if he’d never been there? How silly did she look? Not that it mattered, of course, because she wouldn’t ever, no wait. There was a chance she’d see him again. 

“What do you like to drink? Rum? Tequila? Beer? Wine?”

_One of each alcohol please._

“She likes vodka and rum,” Aurore said to him after Marinette had taken much too long to reply. 

Why couldn’t her brain _just function_? “Y-yeah,” Marinette confirmed, drawing circles on the menu with her index finger. Never had she been so grateful to have gotten drinks with Aurore. “Thank you.”

She beamed. “Anytime!”

More than anything in the whole world, Marinette wished someone would say his name again. Alix kept calling him Bozo, but she knew that was _most certainly **not**_ his name. She’d been far too flustered by his painted nails, his open shirt and his bare chest, his _voice_...UGH! Brain derailed. Again. She couldn’t go the entire day avoiding his name and mentally calling him Soft Hands Guy (whose hands weren’t actually all that soft). But she couldn’t ask for his name because they’d already spent nearly half an hour together. She’d look like a complete doofus. Not that she didn’t already look like a complete doofus. But that was _absolutely_ aside from the point! 

“The Blue Island Splash is really good,” he smiled kindly, leaning across the table. “And it would match your eyes.”

Could this guy say anything, _anything at all_ , that wouldn’t make her stomach flip flop? It felt like dinosaurs were stomping around. If he kept this up, it was going to be a very, very long day of stuttering and feeling like she was dropped right back into school. She needed that liquid courage as soon as humanly possible. _Maybe two or three liquid courages, even_. “Blue Island Splash it is!” 

“I might actually get that too. I love rum and I love blue curaçao,” Aurore said, tucking her hair behind her ear. “It looks really good.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever had blue curaçao,” Marinette said to nobody in particular. She fidgeted with the menu page, still avoiding eye contact with Soft Hands Guy (whose hands weren’t actually all that soft). “What does it taste like?”

“Oranges,” Alix chimed in. “Kind of weird, huh?”

“Very strange,” Marinette replied, a small smile crossing her lips. “Orange and blue are complementary colors.” 

As the drinks hit the table, Rose’s face lit up with excitement. “Since we don’t know these two, why don’t we play a get-to-know you game?”

Juleka sighed, her shoulders visibly sagging. She mumbled something Marinette couldn’t quite catch and then took a sip of her drink. 

“Oh come on, Jules. It’ll be fun!” Soft Hands Guy (whose hands weren’t actually all that soft) said playfully. “We don’t know these ladies. Didn’t you say that they were also from Paris? This meeting was very clearly foretold in the stars. I think we’ll all be friends,” he paused, tongue wetting his lips as he looked directly at Marinette, “For a very long time."

It would be very difficult, Marinette thought, to maintain a friendship with him seeing as she couldn’t even form sentences around the guy, let alone remember his damned name.

A wicked grin spread across Aurore’s face. “Never have I ever?” 

Trying to cover her very obvious sigh, Marinette took a long sip of her drink. She hated that game. Why couldn’t they play a less embarrassing get-to-know-you game like two truths and a lie? Never have I ever always started out light-hearted but always, always, always progressively became more and more inappropriate. Which she wouldn’t mind if she were a couple more drinks in and in familiar company. But she wasn’t even remotely buzzed, nor was she with her close friends.

“Sounds great!” Alix chirped, finishing up her drink. “Loser buys the next round of drinks?”

Marinette couldn’t help but notice the sly look Alix gave Soft Hands Guy (whose hands weren’t actually all that soft) and lord did it make her mind wander into all sorts of places it had no business wandering. But that was completely aside from the point. Never have I ever always resulted in Marinette dying from embarrassment. And if she lost, her wallet would be hurting pretty bad.

“How about you get another round for us beforehand, _Bozo_?” Juleka sharply suggested, her glass drained. “I hate this game.”

“I can do that, Jules,” he smiled, reaching across to her and, much to her dismay, rubbing the top of her head. Maybe they were related? They didn’t look much alike. But they definitely might’ve been related.

Watching his interactions with Juleka, Marinette took note of just how genuine his smile was. It reached his eyes. And boy were his eyes pretty. They matched the waters of the Andaman _perfectly_. She’d been so engrossed with watching him, with memorizing every detail, that when the drinks hit the table, she jumped and let out a small yip. She giggled nervously and handed the server her empty glass. 

“Okay, okay. But hear me out. You guys know me well enough to annihilate me before we even finish these drinks. So,” he paused, “Can we go five fingers instead of three?”

“Only if we turn this into a drinking game,” Alix smirked. “If you did it, you take a drink. If you lose the game, you drain your drink _and_ buy the next round.”

“Just remember to play nice,” he replied with a wink. “This is supposed to be a friendly get-to-know-you game with our new friends. Let’s not play Knock-Bozo-Out.”

“But isn’t that getting to know _you_?” Aurore asked with a devilish grin.

“Fair enough,” he laughed, shaking his head. “How about this? If you guys play fair, I’ll buy the drinks for the rest of the day.”

Alix, Juleka, and Rose all seemed content with his proposal while Aurore had a curious look on her face. 

Marinette, on the other hand, was inwardly distressed. He couldn’t buy all of their drinks all day! They were in what was arguably the most expensive place in Phuket and he was just willy-nilly buying drinks for everyone, including her and Aurore. And they’d just met. If this wasn’t the very definition of taking advantage, she didn’t know what was. She, Marinette Louise Dupain-Cheng, would not take advantage of his kindness. She would buy her own drinks! “No, no, no.” 

“No?” he asked, cocking his head to the side. 

Marinette’s hands flew up over her mouth and she shook her head. “Did I say that outloud?”

Everyone at the table laughed and Aurore draped her arm over Marinette’s shoulder, pulling her into a side hug. “You’re so funny.” 

“You’re adorable, Marinette.” There was that genuine smile again. “I really don’t mind buying drinks though. It’s really not a big deal.”

“No, _it really isn’t_ ,” Alix reassured. “Trust me. Bozo can handle this.”

Flushed, Marinette stiffly nodded. “I’ll be right back guys. I, uh, I’ve gotta go. To the bathroom! Definitely to the bathroom!” 

“Did you want company?” Aurore asked, readying herself to stand up. “It’s safer to go together!”

“No!” Marinette exclaimed, perhaps a little too quickly. She scratched the back of her head as she stood up and let out a forced laugh. “I’m good. Bathroom is just inside. I’ll be back in a couple minutes. Promise! Don’t start without me, guys!” 

Abruptly, Marinette made her way into the building and to the bar rail inside. She leaned on the counter and fidgeted with her hair. She needed a shot. Maybe two. Things were just too awkward. She was entirely uncomfortable and she couldn’t really pinpoint _why_. Maybe it was because she hadn’t really had much male attention since Adrien went international. He’d objected to breaking it off, but she didn’t think it was fair to him to ask him to stay in a long-distance relationship. Her parents still needed help at the bakery here and there, so she couldn’t actually travel. Plus, she didn’t really want her face in the media more than it needed to be. 

“How can I help you?” the bartender asked, polishing a glass with a towel.

“Can I get a doubleshot of Havana Club, please?”

He nodded and poured a generous amount of liquor into the rocks glass, sliding it to her. She handed him money and threw back the doubleshot in one gulp. Nothing beat the burn of rum. In fact, Marinette much preferred it to the burn of embarrassment. Hopefully it would kick in quickly and her anxiety level would drop. 

Marinette made her way back to the table. She would drink fewer drinks on Soft Hands Guy (whose hands weren’t actually all that soft)’s tab, which would make her feel much better. And when this kicked in, she’d feel less nervous and therefore, have more fun. Win-win.

“Are you ready to play?” Rose eagerly asked as Marinette sat down. Without waiting for a response, she excitedly held up five fingers. “Never have I ever stood someone up on a date.”

Aurore, Alix, and Soft Hands Guy (whose hands weren’t actually all that soft) were already putting down fingers and nursing their drinks. “Who did you stand up, Aurore?” Marinette asked. 

“Lê Chiến Kim,” Aurore admitted. “But to be fair, it’s been _years_. He asked me out and I was so excited that I practically screamed yes. I didn’t show up because I got scared.” 

“Lê Chiến Kim? As in the Lê Chiến Kim who was one of the competitors in last year’s decathlon? The one in Talence?” 

“Do you know him?” Aurore asked, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “We went to school together.

Alix laughed and nodded. “Know him? You could say that.”

Juleka’s smile didn’t go unnoticed. “Never have I ever used someone else’s toothbrush.”

“Oh come on, Jules,” Soft Hands Guy (whose hands weren’t actually all that soft) groaned, taking another generous gulp of whatever he was drinking. 

Juleka’s smile fell from her face as she narrowed her eyes at Rose. “Who did you share a toothbrush with?”

Bashfully, Rose scratched the back of her head. “I’ve used yours here and there.”

“Who did _you_ share a toothbrush with?” Aurore playfully asked Marinette as she was taking a sip of her drink. “I didn’t take you to be _that kind_ of girl.”

“I, uh. Y-you wouldn’t know h-him,” Marinette stuttered. She could feel heat crawling up to her ears. “Not r-really.”

“Oh come on, Marinette. We practically grew up together. Just one classroom away,” Aurore pushed in a sing-song voice. 

“It was a-af-after school.”

“Okay, fine,” Aurore pouted and crossed her arms. “Never have I ever kissed a celebrity.”

Marinette looked around the table, noting that she’d been the only one to have done so. Again, Marinette found herself sipping on her drink. Down to three fingers.

“Who did you kiss?” Rose and Aurore eagerly asked. 

Why had she agreed to play this game? Why hadn’t she just spoken up and said that she didn’t like this game? These were private things! The only person outside of her family who knew was Alya and Alya wasn’t present. Boy did Marinette hate this game. “I uh,” she stammered, “Adrien Agreste.”

“You _did not_!” Aurore squealed, nearly spilling her drink. 

Sheepishly, Marinette added, “Yeah. Uh. I shared a toothbrush with him once. I forgot mine. But that was a long time ago. Before he uh, before he was international. He frequented my parents’ bakery. One day, I worked up the courage to ask him to sign a magazine he was on the cover of and we ended up talking. And he kept coming back to the bakery. And yeah. That’s it.”

“Wow!” Alix leaned across the table, “Pound it! That’s awesome!”

“So, uh. You like blondes, huh?” Soft Hands Guy (whose hands weren’t actually all that soft) practically snorted. 

“Smiles,” Marinette corrected, absentmindedly chewing on her bottom lip. “I like smiles.”

He seemed to relax as the words fell out of her mouth. “Smiles, huh?”

“And pretty eyes.” Marinette found herself smiling goofily. That first drink must’ve been kicking in. The shot wouldn’t be too far behind, she hoped. 

“And _soft hands_ ,” Aurore teased. 

_Well. Maybe it hadn’t completely kicked in._ Marinette felt her cheeks heat up for the zillionth time that day as she once more found herself staring at her drink. Marinette nervously chuckled as _“You’re handsosss are very soft”_ replayed over again in her head. “Soft hands.”

“Yes?” he asked, leaning forward and resting his chin in his hand. 

Marinette’s eyes met his half-lidded gaze. Oh great. Now he responded to _that name_. It was going to stick if somebody didn’t say his damned name. “Soft hands?”

“Yes?” he asked again, a silly smile spreading across his lips.

“Oh come on dumbass! Stop making goo-goo eyes and leave her alone,” Alix interrupted. 

“Alix, this is all in good fun,” he laughed. “But seriously. Given the opportunity, who here _wouldn’t_ kiss a celebrity? Clara Nightingale is pretty cute.”

“Us,” Juleka said, snuggling Rose. 

“I certainly wouldn’t mind,” Aurore dreamily said. “I think it’d be so cool.”

“Overrated,” Alix stated, rolling her eyes.

“The real question is, Marinette,” Soft Hands Guy leaned back in his chair, linking his fingers behind his head. “Would you do it again?”

“Oh. My. God,” Alix snorted. “Shut. Up. Dumbass.”

“What? I mean, she’s kissed one celebrity. I’m just curious if it’s something I, myself, should be interested in,” he explained.

“I don’t know. Maybe. I suppose it would depend on the circumstances,” Marinette replied thoughtfully. “Celebrities are people, just like us.”

“That’s a nice answer,” Juleka said, smiling behind her drink. “I like that. A lot.” 

“Marinette, it’s your turn,” Rose squeaked excitedly.

“You’re right! I’m so sorry!” she squealed and took a deep breath. She could do this! She could definitely think of something she’d never done. She wasn’t freezing up like she always did when she played this game. She hadn’t really done _all that much_ so why in the world was this so hard? “Uh. Never have I ever…” Marinette glanced over to Aurore and smirked. “Never have I ever had a holiday romance.”

“Yet!” Rose exclaimed, a wide grin spreading from cheek-to-cheek as her eyes darted back and forth between Marinette and Soft Hands Guy. 

Marinette noted that everyone except for her put their fingers down.

Aurore sighed whimsically, leaning forward to nurse her drink. “My last mini-vacation, I met the most wonderful girl.”

“Girl?” Marinette curiously inquired. She’d only heard Aurore gush about men she liked. 

“Yeah,” she smiled. “I go both ways, Marinette.”

“Oh! Sorry! I didn’t know that! I don’t think it’s strange or anything. I just didn’t _know_ that,” Marinette clarified, frantically waving her hands through the air. “Sorry if I seemed weird at all.”

“Not at all,” Aurore replied. “How about you guys?”

Rose smiled and leaned into Juleka. “Every vacation is a holiday romance when I’m with her.”

Juleka tucked Rose under her arm. “We’ve been together for what? Eight years now?”

“I met Kim on vacation,” Alix added. “Corsica. We stayed in the same hostel and hit it off in an elevator. Neither of us were wearing matching socks and everyone else was. We laughed about it and honestly afterward we just clicked.”

“Wait. You’re dating Kim?” Aurore asked, connecting the dots. “That’s wonderful!”

“Kind of?” Alix replied. “We’re more than friends but not quite dating? We aren’t into labels, I guess.”

“I’m glad you didn’t stand him up,” Auore sighed, eyes falling to her drink. “I feel really guilty about it still. I really didn’t _want_ to stand him up. I was just too nervous to go.”

“Oh don’t feel bad. That was like, what? Seven years ago? I think that’s what he told me? He’s long over it dude.”

Aurore looked absolutely mortified. Marinette assumed that it was probably because Alix _knew_ about it, despite only having met Aurore. 

“I have never had a holiday romance. But,” Soft Hands Guy began. He held up his glass to Marinette and winked. “I put my finger down because I think I’d like to have one with you.”

“What did I tell ya, Bozo?!” Alix snorted, slapping the back of his head.

Marinette giggled and leaned forward, clinking her glass to his. The liquor finally kicked in just enough. “Here’s to a fun weekend.”

“W-wait. R-really?” he stammered. “You—You’re serious?”

Smile never wavering, Marinette drained her drink.

~*~*~

Never in a million gazillion years did the thought ever occur to Marinette that she’d find herself halfway around the world making _new friends_. Nor did she ever think she’d be _meeting other Parisians_. And she never, ever imagined she would end up watching a romantic sunset over the Andaman with one of them, especially not one that was so damned genuine and handsome and funny. 

Marinette still had no idea what his name was, but that was okay. He’d taken a liking to being called _Soft Hands Guy_ and the accidental nickname quickly became a term of playfulness and endearment. He’d come up with one for her too. Mélodie. His was far more romantic.

“So your parents own a bakery?”

“Yeah,” Marinette replied, fingers curling in the sand. “Boulangerie Patisserie. It’s near Collège Françoise Dupont. It’s where I attended school. What do your parents do?”

Soft Hands Guy laughed softly and shook his head. “They’re musicians.”

“What?! That’s so cool! Do you play any instruments?”

“I dabble,” he chuckled. “A lot. I dabble a lot. I mostly play guitar, but I also know my way around a bass.”

“But can you sing?” Marinette asked, leaning in closer to him. 

The way the golden sunlight reflected off of his skin and his hair would make a wonderful painting, she thought. Everything was perfect. If she wouldn’t have left her phone back in the hostel locker, she would’ve snapped a photo for future reference. Instead, she hoped she could somehow burn this moment into her memory. 

“Eh,” Soft Hands Guy replied. “I can sing in tune, but I’m much better with my fingers.”

She was going to explode from embarrassment at the first thought that crossed her mind. Her mind was definitely in places it shouldn’t have been. Focus, Marinette. “Explains your _very_ soft hands.”

“What? These hands?” He held them up in front of him and wiggled his calloused fingers. “Very soft, indeed.”

“When did you learn to play guitar?”

“I think my mom put my first guitar in my hands when I was about three?” Marinette watched Soft Hands Guy stretch his legs out and curl his sandy toes and couldn’t help but smile as she felt his fingers lightly brush against hers, coming to rest right next to hers. “I don’t think I actually started learning until I was five though,” he paused and looked into her eyes. “What do you like to do for fun?”

“A lot of things,” she began and looked out over the ocean. “I like to paint and bake. I love to design clothes and sew. Adrien Agreste wanted me to go to work for his father, but it felt too much like a handout, you know? And plus, what if turning my passion into a job made me dislike it? That’d just make me sad.”

“I understand that fear more than you’d ever imagine,” he chuckled. “It’s definitely not for everyone. It worked out for me though.”

“Oh? What’s your hobby then?” she asked. 

He gently curled his pinky around hers and gazed out at the sun setting on the horizon. “Not important. I don’t want to think about work right now. I just want to live in the moment with you. As much as I love my job, I’m not quite ready to go back to work just yet.”

“Hey, uh, Soft Hands Guy?”

“Mélodie?” 

“What are you doing tomorrow?”

“That’s a good question,” he replied. He bit his lip and looked up at the sky. “Are you busy tomorrow?”

She shook her head and stretched out her legs, her toes lightly skimming the side of his calf. “I don’t have plans. I was thinking about people watching or playing with the elephants.”

“Okay, but hear me out. Did you want to come get lost with me?”

“What do you mean by that?” Marinette asked. The sun was almost entirely gone. 

“Let’s go on an adventure. Let’s take the ferry to Koh Lanta,” he suggested, gesturing to the horizon. “I’ve heard a lot of great things about it. You said you weren’t a big fan of tourist things, yes? It’s far less touristy than the Koh Phi Phi islands or Krabi or Phuket. It’s like a sparkling hidden gem.” He completely covered her hand with his as he looked down and gave Marinette a look that absolutely made her melt. “We can hike through some waterfalls, explore some caves, or maybe go snorkeling. We could spend the night over there and then come back the next morning. What do you say?”

A small smile crept onto Marinette’s lips as her stomach filled with dinosaurs again. He looked absolutely thrilled and it made her heart race. How could she turn him down? Aurore would probably be fine if Marinette left her with the others. In fact, she’d probably encourage Marinette to go with Soft Hands Guy. Maybe. She probably needed to ask, just to be safe.

“What the heck?” Marinette replied, leaning on his shoulder. He smelled nice. Seasalt and sandalwood. “Sounds like fun.”

“Before the sun is completely gone,” he started and began burying his feet in the sand. “I was uh, I was wondering if you wanted, no ah. I was wondering if _we_ could take a picture together?”

“I would really like that, Soft Hands Guy. But I left my phone in the hostel.”

“I have mine.” He slid his phone out of his pocket and pulled the front-facing camera up. “You sure you’re okay with it?”

“Only under the condition you send it to me,” Marinette winked. 

“Is that your way of asking me for my number?” he joked, holding the phone up in front of them.

“N-No! I-I you, I mean, I follow can Instagram you? Follow you on Instagram? That is, if you have Instagram? Or Twitter or, I don’t know.”

“You’re assuming I’d want to share this wonderful moment with the world?” he winked. “You’re so adorable. Of course I’ll send it to you.”

She giggled and tilted her head up to him with a huge grin plastered on her face. “And you’re implying I wouldn’t _want_ to share this wonderful moment with the world?”

“You have no idea,” he laughed. Marinette wasn’t sure what he meant by that but laughed along with him anyway. It didn’t matter _why_ they were laughing; she didn’t need a reason to laugh with him. Everything about this moment in time filled her with joy like the ocean waves filled the holes in the sand. “You can share it if you really want to.”

“Thanks, Soft Hands Guy. But I’ll respect you if you want to keep it private,” Marinette replied, suddenly sitting straight up. “Let’s go!”

Puzzled, he looked at her, curiosity dancing in his eyes. “Go where?”

“Anywhere!” she exclaimed as she stood up and offered him her hand. “Let’s go look for hermit crabs or go find a crepe cart!”

“Or dinner?” he suggested, taking her hand. “Did you want to get dinner together?”

“I would like that very much,” Marinette hesitated. “But what about the others? We said we’d meet with them for dinner.”

“I don’t think they’d mind,” he replied, taking a step closer to her. “But we should at least meet them in fifteen minutes, like we said we would.”

Marinette felt her heart jump to her throat as she felt his calloused fingers against the side of her face, brushing loose locks behind her ear. Dinosaurs. Dinosaurs. _Dinosaurs_. Involuntarily, she leaned into his touch and laid her cheek into his hand. “Okay.”

“You’re really pretty, Mélodie,” he whispered, sliding his fingers up under her chin. 

As he began to lean in, Marinette could feel her heart beating ten thousand beats per minute. He was going to kiss her. Was her breath okay? Were her lips chapped? Were they too wet? Oh gosh, he was going to kiss her. If this is where the night was headed, she definitely needed another drink to calm her nerves. She squeezed her eyes shut and abruptly turned her head to the side—catching his warm and very soft lips with hers?

Immediately he pulled away, shock scrawled across his face. “I-I-I’m sorry! I tr-tried to kiss your cheek—I—”

“Th-that was m-my fault,” Marinette stammered, burying her face into her hands. “I’m so sorry!”

Laughing nervously, he scratched the back of his neck. “Did you uh—did you want to try—” 

“Yes,” she peeped, peeking out from behind her fingers. Tentatively, she laid her hands on his shoulders and stood on her tiptoes, tilting her chin up. Her eyes fluttered shut as he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. 

Time stood still. Marinette was completely lost in the softness of his lips and the beating in her chest. All of her senses were invaded by the warmth of their bodies pressed together, his hands on the small of her back pulling her closer, being surrounded by the gentle scent of seasalt sandalwood. Everything was perfect.

When they parted, their lips lingered just centimeters apart. Her eyes slowly flitted open as she felt him move away. Marinette looked up into his half-lidded aquamarine eyes, a doofy smile spreading across her face. “You’re cute.”

“No you,” he replied, cupping her cheek in his hand. “You’re cute.”

She scrunched her nose and happily giggled. “You really don’t think the others would mind just the two of us grabbing dinner?”

“Nah. I don’t get to do stuff like this often. Jules won’t mind. Neither will the other two. Do you think yours will mind?”

“I don’t think so,” Marinette said, allowing her hands to drop from his chest. “I think she’ll be happy. When we found out that we were going to be staying in Thailand for a few days, she repeatedly brought up the fact that I don’t put myself out there enough.”

He dropped his hands from the small of her back, his fingers finding hers. Hand-in-hand, they slowly made their way back to the beach bar they’d been at earlier in the day, laughing and kicking sand over each other’s feet. Marinette couldn’t help but let her mind wander to a few days down the road. Would it be appropriate to give him her number? Should she invite him to the bakery? Or would it be best if she left everything alone as a perfect moment in time? Future contact could very well tarnish everything. 

They arrived just shortly after their friends had, fingers still intertwined. Marinette noticed the contrast between Juleka’s expression and everyone else’s. Her smile was soft, genuine, kind. Aurore and Rose both had knowing smirks while Alix looked on with utter disbelief. Self-consciously, Marinette dropped his hand and pulled her braid over her shoulder. Coyly, she smiled at the group. 

“Did you have fun?” Aurore asked, smirk still tugging at her lips. 

“We did,” Soft Hands Guy answered, shoving his hands into his pockets. He redirected his attention to Juleka and Marinette watched with interest as he quietly pulled her aside. They had to have been related. Maybe they were cousins? They didn’t look alike, minus both having black hair.

“What did you guys do?” Rose eagerly asked, clasping her hands together. “Was it romantic?”

“Did he make any moves on you?” Aurore giddily inquired immediately after. “Are you guys going to stay in touch when you go back to Paris?”

“Probably not,” Alix snorted, shaking her head. “Wouldn’t be the first time he’s done this.”

“Why do you have to be like that?” Rose crossed her arms, frowning at Alix. “He has enough trouble meeting people, you know.”

“You don’t think I don’t know that?” Alix shot back. “I want him to be happy, you know. But as soon as people put two and two together, things always change and he always ends up miserable.” She glanced over to Marinette and smiled sheepishly, “Nothing against you, Love Bug.”

“But you’re squishing his happiness right now with your behavior,” Rose countered, placing her hands on her hips. “This is the happiest I’ve seen him in _months_. Can’t you just let him enjoy his time with Marinette?”

“That’s the problem!” Alix raised her voice, crossing her arms. “He gets all excited about a girl. She gets excited about him. Things don’t work because he’s—”

“Hush!” Rose snapped. “That’s for _them_ to discuss. Get rid of your bad attitude!”

Listening to the two bicker, Marinette watched all of her thoughts about keeping in touch catch a riptide and float off toward the horizon. Alix seemed to be a realist whereas Rose seemed to be an optimist. She wasn’t sure about what Alix meant, the whole putting two and two together bit, but whatever she was going on about, she was probably right. It’d probably be in the best interest for both of them to keep this as a wonderful memory. No need to ruin it with whatever Alix was referring to. As much as it sucked, she just needed to focus on the here and now. 

Her eyes caught Aurore’s. “Can I talk to you for a second, Mari?”

“Sure.” 

The two girls walked a few meters away from the other two and, when they were out of earshot, Aurore took Marinette’s fingers into her hands and gave Marinette what was quite possibly one of the most genuine smiles she’d ever seen in her entire life. “I think you should play it by ear.”

“What do you think Alix is talking about?”

“Not sure,” the blonde giggled and squeezed Marinette’s fingers. “Maybe he _is_ some sort of celebrity or hot-shot businessman. Maybe girls like to take advantage of his money or something.”

“Oh come on,” Marinette laughed. “There’s no way! You’d have to live under a rock to miss _that guy_ in the tabloids. Also, wouldn’t _you_ recognize him if he were some sort of celebrity? Furthermore, Aurore, have you ever seen a businessman with so much blue in his hair? It’d be so unprofessional! You’re ridiculous!”

“Am I?” 

“Yes,” Marinette asserted. “But it _does_ make me wonder what sort of secret he has.”

“Maybe he’s the son of some corporate tycoon? Or maybe he’s the heir to a Fortune 500 company?”

“No, no, no. He’d be so much more arrogant. He’s actually really sweet,” Marinette said, her lips tugging upward into a small smile. “He wants to get dinner with me tonight. Would you, uh, would you mind if I, uh, left you with the others?”

“Oh. My. Gosh. Mari! No, of course I don’t mind! You should go spend time with him. Get a feel. See if, you know, maybe you could keep whatever this is going. You deserve it. I want you to be happy, girl.” She cleared her throat and glanced back at the reconvening group. “We should probably get back though.”

“Thanks, Aurore. It means a lot.”

Marinette was glad that Aurore had somehow convinced her to join her at Surin Beach. She was happy that she and Aurore were becoming closer; it was one of the things that she had been hoping for! And their new friends seemed really awesome, bickering aside. She found herself liking Soft Hands Guy more than she had any right to as she’d only known him for a single afternoon. And she had no idea what his name was. 

“I’m sorry, Marinette,” Alix apprehensively said as the two reunited with the group. “I uh, what I said was unfair to you.”

“Yes, yes it was,” Rose snorted, crossing her arms. “You should be ashamed, making assumptions like that about poor Marinette! She seems like a very kind girl.”

“Hush!” Juleka snapped, her eyebrows knitting together. “Let’s go get dinner. The four of us. I think we should leave my brother and Marinette to enjoy their time together. You know,” she narrowed her eyes at Alix. “Just in case.”

As an awkward silence befell the group, Soft Hands Guy looked incredibly uncomfortable. His hands were jammed stiffly into his pockets while his gaze was completely averted from the entire group. Marinette felt bad for him. Everyone kept speaking for him, instead of allowing him to speak for himself. 

“I sure am _starving_ ,” Aurore coughed. “Ladies, are you ready to get that dinner? On me tonight.”

“That’s awfully kind of you,” Rose beamed. “Are you sure, Aurore?”

“Of _course_. I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t sure. But uh,” her blue eyes darted between Soft Hands Guy and Marinette. “We should give those two some privacy.”

“You really don’t have to,” he sheepishly said. “I mean,” he glanced to Marinette. “But only if you still want to.”

“Of course,” Marinette replied. “I would love to join you for dinner.”

“A-are you sure? Even, uh, after _that_?” his eyes darted to Alix.

“Yes,” Marinette beamed, holding her hands out. “Nothing would make me happier than to get dinner with you, Soft Hands Guy.”

A silly grin spread from ear-to-eat as he stepped forward taking her hands into his. “Even after that?”

“Especially after that,” Marinette returned his grin. “Now I have to spend the next two days finding out why I can’t like you anymore.”

“Gross,” Alix spat. “Maybe you two _are_ meant for each other. Come on,” she gestured to the other three. “Let’s go.”

After the others departed, Soft Hands Guy let out a very big sigh and completely laced their fingers together. “Alix is right, you know.”

“Probably,” Marinette agreed. “But that’s okay. I, uh,” she could feel the blush kissing her cheeks. “Let’s time enjoy our together, I mean! Let’s enjoy our time together.”

“We can worry about the later, later?”

“That’s Future Marinette’s problem. But remember how I mentioned crepes earlier? I want some,” Marinette giggled. She walked backwards, tugging on Soft Hands Guy’s hands in the general direction of the hostel. “The beach has been fun. But, uh, I kind of want to put on some clothes and enjoy Phuket. With you. Are you, uh, staying in the same place?” 

“Yeah.”

“You’re not, uh, staying somewhere fancier?” she asked, cocking her head to the side. “I mean! I don’t mean that—not how it sounds. I just—Alix made things weird.”

“Heh,” he dropped her hands and scratched the back of his neck. “She tends to do that. But, ah. No. I’m definitely staying with the others. Same room. We all decided to take the trip together.”

“Yeah,” Marinette dropped her gaze to the sand. Her feet were suddenly the most interesting things in the whole universe. “I am sorry. I wasn’t trying to make any assumptions. I just—I’m not interested in you because of anything Alix said. This whole thing really became a mess, huh?”

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”

Marinette looked up at him, a smile creeping onto her face. She kicked sand over his feet and took hold of his hands once more. “I don’t care who you are, you know. CEO. Some famous guy. Mr. Inheritance. None of it matters. You’re just fun to be with. And I want to enjoy my time with you here. You’re cute.”

“No you,” he retorted, a small smile pulling at his lips. “You’re cute.” 

“That’s definitely you,” she disagreed and tapped his nose with her index finger. “You’re cute. Also I’m buying dinner. No objections!”

“Wha—No! Dinner is on me!” he argued. “That’s my job! I’m taking _you_ out.”

“No,” Marinette firmly said. She shook her head and placed her finger over his lips. “This isn’t the 50s. We’re equals. You bought drinks all day. Now it’s my turn.”

“Tha—No!” 

“Too bad!” Marinette smiled and turned around. She looked over her shoulder, a bright smile on her face. “I’m going to go back and change. Are you coming?”

“I just—Marinette! Wait!”

“Gosh, Soft Hands Guy,” she laughed, snatching his hand up into hers. “You act like a girl has never bought _you_ dinner before.” Marinette paused and squeezed his hand. “Am I going to be your first?”

“Phrasing.”

“Oh my freaking gosh. Pervert.”

“You said it, not me,” he winked. “Did you want to stop by sevvies on the way back?”

“Sevvies?”

“7-Eleven? Isn’t that what all the cool kids say?”

“Are you insinuating I’m a cool kid?” Marinette feigned offense, gesturing to herself. “Because I am certainly _not_ a cool kid.”

Laughing, Soft Hands Guy shook his head. “You’re the one that shared a toothbrush with _the_ Adrien Agreste. Not me.”

“That’s not fair!” she pouted. “You know more about me than I know about you!”

“That’s not true,” he said, stepping up off of the sand. “You know just as much about me as I do about you.”

“Well,” Marinette started, stepping up out of the sand. “You know who _I_ shared a toothbrush with, but I don’t know who _you_ shared a toothbrush with.”

“A couple people,” he admitted.

“So what you’re telling me is that you’re a chronic toothbrush forgetter?” 

He laughed nervously as they rounded the corner toward the 7-Eleven. “Maybe.”

“Okay then,” she grinned. “How about we play our own game of never have I ever? Just us. Over dinner.” 

“Didn’t you say you hated that game?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow. “I could’ve sworn you said you hated that game.”

Had she said that? Or had it been her body language? She couldn’t recall. But either way, he wasn’t wrong. It certainly wasn’t her favorite game. It didn’t even make the top twenty-five. “I don’t think I said that.”

“Must’ve been your body language then,” he laughed. “But I swear, at some point you said it.”

“Okay fine,” Marinette relented. “You’re not wrong. I _do_ hate that game. But I also think it could be fun with just you.”

“Alright,” he smiled as they entered the hostel lobby. “I’ll wait here while you change.”

“You’re not going to change?” 

“I mean, if you _want_ me to change, I can. I was just going to button up my shirt and call it.”

Marinette stammered, “No! I mean, uh. You look great how you are!”

“Then you want me to watch you change?” he quirked an eyebrow, smirk tugging at his lips. “I mean, we’ve only just met, Mélodie. But if that’s what you want,” his voice playfully trailed.

“No!” she squeaked, hands wildly flailing in front of her. “But also, I don’t mean that I’d object—I don’t mean that uh, I just. You’re very handsome but also I don’t know you but also—”

An amused look sat on his face as she tripped and tumbled over her words. “But also I should probably buy you dinner first.”

“Yes! Wait! No! I’m buying dinner. You’re not buying dinner!”

“So I don’t get to watch you get dressed?” he teased. “Bummer.”

“Just wait here!” she exclaimed, still flustered. “I’ll be right back!”

Pulling her dress over her head, Marinette sighed. Why was she like this? Why was she so awkward? Of course he looked great in what he was wearing! She hadn’t meant anything by it; she just didn’t like wearing beach attire away from the beach. They hadn’t really splashed around in the water much, but everything had still gotten so _sandy_. And oh god. The way she could barely form a coherent sentence when he’d playfully suggested she wanted him to watch her get dressed—why did her mind immediately go to the gutter instead of realizing it was a joke? 

“Hey,” she nervously laughed, pulling her braid over her shoulder as she approached him. He had, indeed, buttoned up his shirt. “Ready to go find those crepes, Soft Hands Guy?”

He held out his hand, positively beaming. “There’s a great night market not too far from here. There are a bunch of stands with drinks and crepes and dozens of other foods.”

“You’ve been?” she asked, laying her hand into his. 

“Not yet. It’s been on my list of places to go all week though! I can’t think of better company.”

“Real question though,” Marinette asked as they passed by the 7-Eleven, “How are you _comfortable_ wearing sandy clothes?”

He shrugged. “I’m not quite ready to shower yet and it just seems silly to get new clothes covered in sand before I shower. No judgement though. Your dress is really cute.”

“Thanks! I made it myself,” she grinned. “I made my swimsuit too.”

“Wow. You’re very talented, Mélodie. It’s a shame that you didn’t take up Agreste’s offer,” Soft Hands Guy said, squeezing her hand. 

“But if I had,” she paused, looking up into his eyes. “We wouldn’t have met.”

The sound of his unrestrained laughter filled the air around them, and Marinette’s heart. Everything about him was so genuine—his smile, his laugh, his kindness—everything. What kind of secret did he have? It couldn’t have been an awful secret, could it? But if it wasn't an awful secret, why in the heck didn’t things ever last with other girls he’d met? Did she really want to know? No. It wasn’t important. She needed to get out of her head. All that mattered was enjoying their weekend together.

“You never know,” Soft Hands Guy said, happiness gleaming in his eyes. “Maybe this was destiny, you and I meeting.”

“Stahp!” Marinette scrunched her nose, hoping it’d help with the heat she could feel kissing her cheeks. She didn’t have the sun for an excuse anymore. “I like to think that I make my own fate.”

“Is that so?” 

“‘ _You are free to break the chains of destiny which bind you _’. It’s a quote from one of my favorite video games. If everything were predetermined, life would be boring.”__

__“Never have I ever met a girl as cute as you.”_ _

__“Do you say that to every girl you spend a weekend with?” Marinette teased. “Because Alix sure did make this sound pretty normal.”_ _

__“I don’t, actually,” he replied. “I don’t have very much luck with dating. Things always get weird. Whenever I meet someone I like, it doesn’t take long for them to, ah, how did Alix put it? Put two and two together and then they don’t really see me for me anymore.”_ _

__“That doesn’t sound like fun. But, Soft Hands Guy,” Marinette paused, “This weekend it doesn’t matter who you are or what your job is or what you’ve done or anything Alix said or how other girls have reacted to whatever it is that _‘makes them put two and two together’_. Let’s drop it and go eat those crepes.” Excitedly, Marinette grabbed onto his hand with her free one and began pulling him toward the crepe vendor. “You do like crepes, don’t you?”_ _

__“O-Of course!”_ _

__The two weaved through the night market munching on their crepes and sipping on Thai tea. Hand-in-hand, they stopped at various booths to browse trinkets and toys, clothes and accessories. On several occasions, Soft Hands Guy tried to buy Marinette small gifts, but she had none of it. She would buy her own things, she’d firmly asserted. It was cute when he pouted about it, but also wondered how many other girls he’d gone out with had taken advantage of his kindness._ _

__The more time Marinette spent with Soft Hands Guy, the more she liked him and the more she hated the idea of saying goodbye. She hated goodbyes to begin with, but this one was going to suck. She hadn’t been _this_ enchanted by a guy since she’d been with Adrien. She had spent a lot of time crying and wondering if giving Adrien up had been the right move. _ _

__She didn’t really want to make the same mistake with Soft Hands Guy. Even though she didn’t know his name, there was something very special about him._ _

__“No way! You did not!” Marinette cried, practically doubled over with laughter. “There’s no way that you fell asleep in the closet!”_ _

__“Dude, edibles are dangerous. One minute you’re like, ‘ _This obviously isn’t working. I’d better take more_.’ And then as soon as you eat the second one, the first hits and you think, ‘ _Oh fuck_.’ And that’s how you end up in a stranger’s closet asleep.”_ _

__Marinette wiped the tears from her eyes and shook her head. “Marijuana sounds _wild_.”_ _

__“It’s something, that’s for sure. But uh, I guess it’s my turn, huh?”_ _

__Marinette nodded._ _

__“Never have I ever had a friend with benefits,” Soft Hands Guy said, taking a sip of his Thai tea._ _

__“Really?” she asked._ _

__“Does that surprise you?”_ _

__“Yes and also no?” Marinette replied, draining the last drop from her own tea. “You don’t strike me as the kind of person who would want that sort of relationship—not that there’s anything wrong with it or people who choose to do so—but! Also you’re very flirtatious so it also _wouldn’t_ surprise me. You know?”_ _

__“Yeah, I get it. Not my cup of tea, but no judgement to people who it works for. Different strokes for different folks,” he smiled. “How about you? Friends with benefits?”_ _

__She shook her head. “Nope. Not for me either. If I’m, you know, sleeping with someone, I want to be more than friends. But I’m a hopeless romantic; I always hope that whoever I’m with will want to stay with me forever and ever and that we’ll get married and have two hamsters named Tikki and Plagg.”_ _

__“Same,” he admitted. “Maybe not the hamster part. But that’s negotiable.”_ _

__“You’re very handsome,” Marinette began. “I’m sure you have a line of ladies ready to date you. Why haven’t you settled down?”_ _

__“The same could be said of you, you know.” Soft Hands Guy grinned, “You’re gorgeous. Why haven’t _you_ settled down?”_ _

__“I just haven’t met the right person, I guess. Adrien could’ve been the right person. But I felt like keeping a long-distance relationship would’ve been a huge inconvenience for him. And I couldn’t just move away, you know? I help my parents at their bakery. Someday, it’ll be my bakery and, I don’t know. I didn’t want to ask him to give up his lifestyle to make bread with me. Going our separate ways made sense at the time.”_ _

__“I think that’s very kind of you, Mélodie. How old were you when you split up?”_ _

__“It was two years ago. I was twenty-one. We’re still friends! His girlfriend and I have adult sleepovers sometimes! Her name is Kagami and she’s adorable,” she smiled. “How old are you? And also, you never answered my question! Why haven’t _you_ settled down?”_ _

__Soft Hands Guy scratched the back of his neck and laughed nervously. “I’m a little older than you. I’m twenty-five. And to answer your question, I guess I haven’t settled down because I haven’t met the right person yet. They always find out the big secret and then things get weird.”_ _

__“Makes sense,” she smiled and coyly tucked her hair behind her ear. “I don’t tell people I’ve dated Adrien because I don’t want anyone to compare themselves to him. Not the same thing. But I can only imagine how weird things would get.”_ _

__Soft Hands Guy cleared his throat. “Yeah, I could see that. Not gonna lie, I definitely felt self-conscious when that came up earlier.”_ _

__“You have _no_ reason to be self-conscious. You’re perfect just the way you are,” Marinette said, looking him up and down. _ _

__“Perfect, huh?”_ _

__“I mean, from what I’ve seen so far, you’re as close to perfect as they come,” she said with a wink as the two rounded the corner, 7-Eleven in sight. “Wanna do one more round before we get back?”_ _

__“Sure,” he gently smiled. “But ah, Mélodie? I’m far from perfect.”_ _

__“We’re all our own worst critics, Soft Hands Guy,” she replied, squeezing his hand lightly. “It’s my turn, right?”_ _

__“Yeah,” he grinned. “It is.”_ _

__“Alright then,” she paused. What could she ask? It’s not that she was running out of questions, so much as they’d covered _so many topics_. She didn’t want to accidentally repeat a question. Okay. Something ridiculous. Yes. Something ridiculous. “Never have I ever joined the mile high club.”_ _

__Marinette watched blush assault his cheeks and ears. It wasn’t a gentle blush by any means. Even in poor lighting, he very suddenly looked _very sunburnt_. “I, uh.”_ _

__She dropped his hand and burst out laughing. “ _How?_ I didn’t know people _actually_ did that!”_ _

__“It was—ah I mean I was uh—I was young. And, uh. We can,” he paused and ran his fingers through his hair. “We can uh, talk about it another time. I need to drink if we’re going to talk about it.”_ _

__Still laughing, Marinette snatched his empty cup and dashed ahead to the garbage can outside of the 7-Eleven. She waited outside the door, beaming. “You’re so funny, Soft Hands Guy. Did you want anything to drink before we head back into the hostel?”_ _

__“A fifth of tequila after your last question,” he joked and held the door open for her._ _

__Marinette bought a bottle of coke, a bottle of water, and a candybar for herself and, much to his dismay, a bottle of water and a candybar for Soft Hands Guy._ _

__“You played dirty,” he pouted as he collected his things from the counter._ _

__“Not my fault that you didn’t have your guard up. You made it _real_ easy to snatch stuff from your hands. I get the feeling people don’t frequently treat you and that you do all of the treating. So I want to treat you.” A smile danced across Marinette’s lips as she hugged her treats to her chest. _ _

__“Thanks, Marinette. You’re very sweet.”_ _

__“Not anymore than you are!”_ _

__Giving her a sidelong glance, his lips turned upward into a devilish smirk. “I still have my last never have I ever, right?”_ _

__“Yeah!” Marinette exclaimed a little louder than she’d meant. “Sorry,” she flinched._ _

__“You’re good,” he replied. As the two came to a stop just short of Bed@Beach, Soft Hands Guy cleared his throat. “Never have I ever kissed someone when I didn’t know their name.”_ _

__Marinette felt a huge wave of embarrassment drench her entire body. He knew. He knew she didn’t know his name. He’d known _the entire day_ and he _let_ her call him Soft Hands Guy. For the whole day. The. Whole. Day. She swallowed what was probably the biggest frog in her throat and let out a nervous chortle. “I, uh—you see,” she looked down at her feet. How was she supposed to look him in the eye? “I, you, uh. Sorry,” she winced._ _

__He stepped closer to her and lifted her chin, his gaze meeting hers. “At this point, you know basically everything about me except for my name. Spoiler alert: it isn’t Bozo and it isn’t Dumbass,” he leaned forward and pressed his soft lips to her forehead. “I’m Luka. I don’t think I ever properly introduced myself.”_ _

__“L-L-Luka?”_ _

__“Yes,” he laughed. “Luka. But you can still call me Soft Hands Guy if you want. But, ah. You might’ve noticed that my hands aren’t actually all that soft.”_ _

__“Luka. Luka? Luka! Luka,” she repeated to herself, letting his name roll on her tongue. “Luka,” Marinette finally smiled. “I’m sorry I didn’t ask.”_ _

__“It’s okay. I should’ve introduced myself,” he replied, offering her his hand._ _

__“Yeah,” she agreed, taking his hand. “But I definitely could’ve asked.”_ _

__“Soft Hands Guy does have a certain ring to it,” he teased as they made their way back to their hostel dorm._ _

__The two briefly went their own ways, showering off the sand and sweat and changing into pajamas. They accidentally bumped into one another in the hallway and laughed awkwardly. “We should probably get some sleep, huh?” Marinette asked, licking her lips. “We have an early day tomorrow.”_ _

__“Yeah,” Luka agreed, tossing his water bottle and candybar down on his bunk. “Gotta be up in seven hours.”_ _

__Marinette tossed her snacks and drink up on her bunk and began climbing the ladder, pausing to look back at Luka, the blue-haired guitarist/bassist that totally joined the mile high club. “You know what?”_ _

__“Yeah?” he asked, hands shoved in his pajama pockets._ _

__“Can I uh,” she began and then shook her head. “Never mind. It’s stupid.”_ _

__“Kiss goodnight?” he asked, cocking his head to the side._ _

__“No ah, well yes. Yes goodnight kiss. I’d like that. A lot.”_ _

__“Then what?”_ _

__“C-Can I, uh. Can I stay with you tonight?”_ _

__Luka plucked Marinette from the ladder and sat down on his bunk, a shit-eating grin plastered on his face. He brushed his nose with hers, causing her to squeal. Gently, he caught her lips with his, both smiling through the kiss._ _

__“I’d like that, very much.”_ _

**Author's Note:**

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